Valentines Menu for tomorrow night - what can I eat?

[babyblonde]

Roasted Tomato, Red Pepper Soup with Basil Oil and Crispy Croutons. (WOULDN'T EAT THIS ANYWAY - TOMATOPHOBE)


Smoked Salmon & King Prawn Terrine Lemon & Lime Dressing (PRESUMABLY NOT DUE TO THE PRAWNS?)


Confit of Duck, Hoi Sin Sauce & Prawn Crackers (THIS COULD BE A WINNER!!!!!)


Grilled Goats Cheese Salad Mediterranean Vegetables and Toasted Pine Nuts (PROBABLY NOT DUE TO GOATS CHEESE?)






Medallions of Beef Fillet, Red Wine and Wild Mushrooms (CAN'S SEE ANY PROBS HERE - EXCEPT IT HAS TO BE WELL DONE RIGHT?)


Seafood, Mussels and Saffron Broth (NO DUE TO THE SHELLFISH?)


Pan-fried Breast of Chicken, Sundried Tomato Mousse, Pesto Linguini (TOMATOES - AAAAARGH!)


Slow Cooked Pork Belly, Port Wine Jus & Gratin Dauphinoise Potatoes (ANY PROBLEMS HERE? - I LOVE DAUPHINOISE!)


Wild Mushroom Ravioli with a Garlic & Herb Sauce (HAVING ISSUES WITH GARLIC AT THE MOMENT )






Chocolate & Orange Mousse with Raspberry Compote (PRESUMABLY THE MOUSSE WILL BE MADE WITH RAW EGG?)


Baked Bananas with Maple Syrup & Ice-Cream (NOT MY FAVOURITE BUT SHOULD BE OK?)


Assiette of Desserts for Two to Share (COULD ALWAYS GO FOR THIS AND I COULD PICK AT THE BITS I'M ALLOWED)


Poached Pear, Dolchelate Mousse & Mulled Wine Syrup. (LOVE POACHED PEAR BUT PRESUMABLY THE MOUSSE IS OUT? PLUS ISN'T DOLCELATTE BLUE CHEESE?????)


Any advice appreciated! If I can't eat much of it I'll just stamp my foot and play the 'don't mess with a pregnant woman' card

 

[Chopsie]

Personally, the only things I wouldn't eat are the goats cheese and the seafood broth - but I always avoid shellfish in a restaurant after getting food poisoning from some mussels once. I've eaten prawns throughout my pregnancy through - as long as they're cooked you're OK (and who the hell eats raw prawns anyway???)

I think the advice to have meat well cooked is a bit over-precautionary - it's only eating underdone poultry that could pose a risk to the baby. You've no more chance of getting food poisoning from rare steak now that before, it'll just take you longer to get over it.

Also - I'd go for the pear dessert but ask them to serve it with cream/ice cream instead of the mousse. Even if we could eat Dolcelatte, Dolcelatte mousse sounds weird as!!

Just eat whatever you feel comfortable with, and enjoy!

 

[babyblonde]

Thanks Chopsie! You read my mind on the pudding!!!! (apparently Dolchelatte is sweet, not like Stilton or something - blue cheese and pears is quite classic I think)

What I really want is the beef (medium obviously ) with the dauphinoise potatoes but I'm not sure they will be willing to rearrange the entire menu to cater to the whims of a bonkers pregnant woman!!!!

 

[splashmonkey]

I'm with chopise, I've been eating prawns and am starting to come round to the why the hell do we have to have thoroughly cooked meat, as long as it's hot it should be fine, since when did you get food poisoning from a decent steak anyway! Mmm blue cheese and pears... now if it was dolcellate sauce, that would be fine, I've discovered, due to being heated... but anyway, if I were you I'd ask them if you can have the steak with dauphinoise, what's the worst than can happen?! It can't be that complicated and they can only say no... I'd probably do that even if I wasn't pregnant lol, I'm right picky me.

 

[babyblonde]

I think I might just say it and then get Andy to whisper to the waiter 'for the love of God, just do as she says' and if they refuse 'be afraid, be very afraid'

Might just wait til I get there and look at what other people are having

 

[Emum]

Cooked prawns and other cooked shellfish are OK (though personally I would still avoid them, as they make me ill even when not pregnant) but smoked salmon is debatable. The gov website says "probably OK but you might wish to avoid to be on the safe side!"

The icecream may also be made with raw egg if its homemade rather than bought in, so it depends on how posh the restaurant is. You might need to check it out when you order.

Goats cheese is out if it is chevre, but soft goats cheeses are apparently OK according to the same website.

My OH is taking me out to a nice restaurant on Monday not Saturday as we hate the fact restaurants are so inflexible with their menus on Valentine's Day. What do people recommend to drink with a nice meal when wine is out?

 

[*Rainbow*]

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[babyblonde]

Good thought on the icecream! I will check it out - my husband is doing a pastry chef course and keeps learning how to make loads of delicious puddings I can't eat, including home made icecream . I think that the icecream that they use is a locally made icecream - but it's available for general sale so should be ok?

I don't really drink anyway so won't really miss the wine - but I sometimes go for something like a schloer or appletiser or a really nice fruit juice. Gosh don't I sound interesting

Rainbow - I miss brie SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much! I would die for a brie and cranberry baguette!

 

[splashmonkey]

Brie... mmm... brie and bacon baguettes... oh I could cry... I'm still debating if baked camembert would be hot enough to be considered "cooked"... my OH made a lovely blue cheese sauce the other day though, it was such a nice treat. I've eaten smoked salmon quite happily too, the smoking kills germs, I didn't think there was any more risk with it than any cold meats or whatever (which in the UK they say are such low risk they leave it up to us to decide) and I'm not stopping eating ham lol! As for the drinking, maybe a nice fruit juice mix? or non-alcoholic cocktail? J2O (not that exciting I realise). Some places have some great suggestions for J2O mixes - like I had apple and raspberry with coke, sounds weird but it was lush!

 

[*Rainbow*]

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